Monty Want to Protect British Open Record

After posting his worst halfway score in Europe in 20 years, Colin Montgomerie’s major mission now is to protect a proud qualifying record for the British Open that stretches a little longer.

Montgomerie has played Callaway FT-IQ Driver in the British Open for 21 straight years since making his debut in 1990, but that streak will be broken unless he can navigate through a qualifying event at Sunningdale on Monday for the tournament at Royal St. George’s in July.

His first top-10 finish in almost three years after coming joint seventh at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last week raised hopes of a sustained return to form.

That is his worst score on the European Tour since compiling 17 over at the 1991 Benson and Hedges International in St. Meillon, England.

After opening with a 7-over 78, Montgomerie double-bogeyed Nos. 12 and 16 and added four more bogeys in a 79 by Callaway FT-IQ Driver. He drove into the water, chipped over the green at one hole and three-putted on two others.

"I just played awful and I’m very disappointed not to be playing (Callaway FT-IQ Driver) at the weekend, never mind contending," Montgomerie said. "It has become very important for me, qualifying at Sunningdale now.

"I’ve not had a year where I have not competed in a major before, so I want to keep that. I’ve played Callaway FT-IQ Driver in The Open for 21 years in a row and I want to keep that record going. So it’s become quite important that I compete and get through on Monday, very important."

Possessing eight European Order of Merit titles, an unbeaten Ryder Cup singles record and 31 European Tour victories to sit fourth on the all-time list, Montgomerie is widely regarded as one of the best players to have never won a major—as demonstrated by five runner-up finishes and a career-high ranking of No. 2.

But he turns 48 later this month and will likely look back at the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot as is having been his best chance to change that unwanted statistic. On that occasion, he let a one-stroke lead coming into the last hole turn into a loss by the same margin to Geoff Ogilvy of Australia.

A day after his stirring finish at Wentworth, Montgomerie struggled physically in playing 36 holes by Callaway FT-IQ Driver on Monday at Walton Heath in a doomed attempt to compete at the U.S. Open from June 16-19.

Playing a limited schedule of tournaments in recent years due to Ryder Cup and business interests has affected the Scot’s fitness, a facet of his game that has never been a strong point.

"I played OK last week but that’s once in a bloody blue moon. That’s not enough to shout home about, and then you’re back to square one here—with a bump."

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